Hit & dragged by bus, man dies

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, April 30: Ajit Medhi, 41, died after he was hit by a bus at Wal Ford in the city early this morning. He came under one of the tyres of the bus and was reportedly dragged by it for a stretch of more than a kilometre till the Bhangagarh flyover.

According to police sources, the victim was on his bicycle when the bus, bearing registration number AS01EC8131, hit him from behind.

The bus was coming from Khanapara towards Panbazar. It plies on the Guwahati-North Lakhimpur route.

The incident left bystanders in an utter state of shock.

When the vehicle finally stopped near the Bhangagarh flyover, people had already gathered.

Medhi was a hawker and was on duty to distribute newspapers when the incident occurred.

He hailed from Mukalmua in Nalbari district and lived with his family in a rented house in Hengerabari here. His brother registered a case against the driver with Dispur police station today.

The police soon took Ali as well as the vehicle into custody. Ali hails from Sipajhar in Darrang district.

“The incident occurred around 6.30am today. The bus was coming from Khanapara and hit the victim who was on a bicycle, from behind. The driver did not stop and continued to drive, dragging the body which had come under the tyre for more than a kilometre. We reached the spot and arrested the driver. The victim’s elder brother also filed an FIR today,” said a police official of Dispur police station.

Medhi’s body was sent for autopsy at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) and then handed over to his family.

“I heard about the accident from my roommate and went to see what had happened. I saw a bus standing at the foot of the Bhangagarh flyover with the body of a man stuck in between the tyres. A crowd had gathered in the area. On the way, a few people who had seen the vehicle dragging the man along tried to stop it, but the driver apparently did not pay heed to them,” said Aman Das, a bystander.

“We have filed an FIR against the driver for hitting our co-hawker, Ajit Medhi, this morning. We condemn this and want the police to take action against the guilty driver,” said Kamalluddin Ahmed, senior member of the hawkers’ association.